How Bernie Taupin & Elton John Wrote ‘Candle In The Wind’ For Princess Diana | Graham Norton Show 

Good for Taupin being honest about his feelings about the song and royalty.

finally we get Elton's other half on this show after years and years and years

Elton singing that song for Princess Diana is a seminal moment for music history. An immortal song for an immortal woman ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

JUST… he just writes songs, he just rewrote the lyrics… MASTERCLASS.

Refreshingly honest

THE Bernie Taupin.We always see Elton but we never see him.He also wrote a song for Heart and one for Starship.(These Dreams and We Built This City I think).

I'm almost done reading Screenshot by Bernie Taupin (it is fantastic!). But after listening to this, I went back and listened to the "revised" Candle in the Wind.....Mr.Taupin is a very gifted writer. For him to say "he doesn't even remember the words"....the version for Diana was completely different than the original....he wrote from his heart, as he always does.

Reading Bernie's new book "Scattershot" now. A very good read! (Both he and Elton are lucky to have survived their drvg abuse days.)

It was my fovorite song before I learned english. Didn't understand any words, had no idea it was for Princess Diana. Hell didn't even know it was a sad song..... Just absolutely amazing music.

It turns out that writing songs is pretty easy when they've already been written.

Hello Graham; from a Zeeland island with is part in a Netherlands, Goes - i glad what a debit is well! and new guestes is came- i love your show- hope for a Red Chair

I was sure it was Stanley tucci for a moment

Hmmm. However honest, that came out as cold!

I’m American, and just remembering Sir Elton sing that song at her homecoming service makes me tear up all over again. I almost felt offended by his phrasing of events but I can tell he doesn’t mean any harm. Just his own experience. Regardless, my little part of the South mourned her.

Bernie had written lyrics at Elton’s request before when Elton asked him to write a song for Billie Jean King’s tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms in the 70s. He said he didn’t know anything about tennis or the team, he just made up some lyrics without thinking too much about the meaning. It was a decent hit. But Candle in the Wind was originally his idea as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and it was easy enough to change the focus to Diana. I laughed at him saying living in America at the time made it harder for Diana’s story to resonate with him. I knew a lot of Americans who were Diana-obsessed at the time.

You know what would have made it better? It it was 5000 candles in the wind.

Thanks

Hey there, you’re awesome 😎 have a great day/night

I thought I knew what Bernie Taupin looked like. I must have been thinking of someone else.

Taupin talking about Diana in England like others would about Thatcher. "Oh, yeah she died, right, and I sort of winged it to write that silly old song, no big deal, don't really care about whatshername anyways." How many weepy Diana fangirls were holding their Elton John CDs, torn between burning them out of hate for Taupin vs love for Elton ?

❤💔

I thought they said, years ago, that it was inspired by Marilyn Monroe.

I love your show. I notice you always have Jamie Dornan in your show. Fifty Shades trilogy were great for Jamie and Dakota and love them both together and so many past frustrating fantasies and Jamie is very much married and loves his family. Could you be a comic and romantic cupid to arrange for Henry Cavill and Dakota Johnson to meet and have a date on your marvelous show. It would be fantastic to make that happen.❤😅

Was this then followed by Bill Bailey playing a Elton-Bernie medley in his inimitable style?

How I see Finneas

Why didn't Bernie visit the magic hair wizard Elton obviously went to.....

Who else is stuck in the never ending loop of The Graham Norton show 👀

After listening to this interview, I went back and listened to Goodbye England's Rose from Diana's funeral.....and, as in Mr. Taupin's book, Scattershot, he continues to downplay his talent. His songwriting skills are beyond compare.

Don’t make out you are an American Bernie, even though you try to sound like one

Now we know why Bernie rarely does interviews. Talented, but deadly boring.

The lyrics and version of the song were mocked a lot in the UK, quite rightly in my opinion, so it's understandable why Taupin distances himself from it. Very judicious of him - the original song is a classic, but the Diana version was far too contrived.